1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a method for the abnormal restart of a multiprocessor computer of the telecommunication switching system in which one processor, from a plurality of processors, implements both switching-oriented, as well as nonswitching-oriented jobs, particularly operations-oriented jobs and other processors therein merely implement the switching-oriented jobs. The term "abnormal restart" as used herein means a restart that differs from a standard restart, wherein all cyclical processes are aborted and restarted, for example, abnormal restarts due to the occurrence of software errors or hardware errors.
2. Description of the Prior Art
Different categories of start-up procedures have heretofore been applied in multiprocessor computers of the type set forth above, these start-up computers differing with respect to the scope of the involvement in the previous processor action and in the scope of the portions of the multiprocessor computer unit that are involved in the event of such a start-up process.
The most frequent start-up stage is thereby a restart in which all cyclical processors are aborted and restarted. In a multiprocessor computer composed of what is referred to as a master processor that must implement both switching-oriented and non-switching oriented jobs, of what is referred to as a spare processor that is kept ready for assuming the task of the master processor in the case of malfunction and, potentially, executes switching-oriented jobs in addition, as well as of further processors that are exclusively for executing switching-oriented jobs, all of these processors are thereby involved.
Since the duration of the initialization, in conjunction with switching technology processors is linearly dependent on the plurality of connected subscribers, interruption time periods of 10s and greater result in telephone switching systems of medium size. As a result losses of connections are also registered in conjunction with such restarts to a magnitude that is not accepted by the system operators given a relatively frequently-occurring type of restart.